Cold March 2013

19th Century March Weather Humor From the March 13, 1899 Minneapolis Journal
Courtesy: Minnesota State Climatology Office Archives

March, 2013 was the coldest month in terms of departure from normal in the Twin Cities since February 2007 and was the coldest March in 11 years.

For March 2013, the average temperature for the month at the Twin Cities International Airport was 27.2 degrees, or 5.6 degrees below normal. March 2013 was the coldest departure from normal month since February 2007 when that month finished 6.6 degrees below normal. It was also the coldest March in the Twin Cities since 2002 where the average temperature was 24.9 degrees, or 7.2 degrees below normal.

March 2012 finished 15.5 degrees above normal and with an average of 48.3 degrees. It was the warmest March on record with the modern record beginning in 1872. Despite March 2013 being on the cold side, March will not wind up in the top 15 coldest Marches on record for the Twin Cities. The coldest March in the modern record for the Twin Cities is 1899 with 17.1 degrees.

It's been just as cold if not colder compared to normal in other parts of the region. International Falls wound up 7.6 degrees below normal with an average temperature of 16 degrees. Fargo was 10.5 degrees below normal. The "warm" spot is Duluth where the March average was only 4.1 degrees below normal.

For the curious, the blizzard that the Minneapolis Journal article to the right is mentioning dropped 12 inches of snow in downtown Minneapolis with 1.25 inches of liquid equivalent.

The National Weather Service in Chanhassen has a story on the cold March.